罪犯太少 荷兰监狱竟然要关门?

 The Netherlands is suffering an unusual crime problem: there isn't enough of it to fill prisons.

荷兰正面临着一个反常的犯罪问题：国内罪犯太少导致监狱闲置。

Figures from the Dutch ministry¹ of justice suggest overall crime will drop by 0.9% a year in the next five years.

荷兰司法部发布的数据显示，今后5年总体犯罪率每年都将下降0.9%。

"More than a third of cells are not used, and the predictions are that it is going to get worse," said Jaap Oosterveer, a spokesman for the ministry of justice. "Obviously, from a social perspective, it is better because crime is down, but if you work in jails, it is not good news."

司法部新闻发言人夏侯雅伯·奥斯塔维尔表示：“目前有超过三分之一的监狱是空置的，并且根据预，这一情况只会变得更糟。当然从社会角度来看，犯罪率降低是好事，但对于在监狱工作的人来，这就不是什么好消息了。”

罪犯太少 荷兰监狱竟然要关门?

The government of the Netherlands is planning to close down five more prisons, after closing eight jails in 2009 and shutting down another 19 in 2014.

荷兰政府计划再关闭5所监狱，荷兰在2009年和2014年先后关闭了8所与19所监狱。

The Netherlands has been innovative² in trying to solve its jail problem. It has "leased" spots in jails to Belgium and Norway. The country also signed a new three-year deal with Norway last September, with 240 Norwegian convicts taking up residence at a jail in Drenthe.

荷兰在解决其监狱问题上一直颇具"创新精神"：荷兰向比利时和挪威"出租"监狱床位；去年9月还与挪威新签订了3年期的出租协议，240名挪威罪犯被安置到荷兰德伦特省的一处监狱。

Karl Hillesland, Dutch prisons' director, told the country's broadcaster RTV Drenthe last month that there is even a "small waiting list", partly due to the success of promotional films shown in Norway.

荷兰一位名叫卡尔·希尔艾斯兰德的狱长上个月接受国家电视台RTV采访时表示，现在甚至出现了一个“小型等待名单”，部分原因是在挪威播放的宣传片很成功。

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。